It also doesn't expend a spell slot, which means the
ritual version of a spell can't be cast at a higher leveI.
To cast a spell as a ritual, a spellcaster must have a
feature that grants the ability to do so. The cleric and the
druid, for example, have such a feature. The caster must
also have the spell prepared or on his or her list of spells
known, unless the character's ritual feature specifies
otherwise, as the wizard's does.Casting a Spell
When a character casts any spell, the same basic rules
are followed, regardless of the character's class or the
spell's effects.
Each spell description in chapter li begins with a block
of information, including the spell's name, levei,school
of magic, casting time, range, components, and duration.
The rest of a spell entry describes the spell's effect.CASTING TIME
Most spells require a single action to cast, but some
spells require a bonus action, a reaction, or much more
time to cast.BONUS ACTION
A spell cast with a bonus action is especially swift. Vou
must use a bonus action on your turn to cast the spell,
provided that you haven't already taken a bonus action
this turno Vou can't cast another spell during the same
turn, except for a cantrip with a casting time of I action.REACTIONS
Some spells can be cast as reactions. These spells
take a fraction of a second to bring about and are cast
in response to some event. If a spell can be cast as a
reaction, the spell description tells you exactly when
you can do sO.
LONGERCASTING TIMES
Certain spells (including spells cast as rituais) require
more time to cast: minutes or even hours. When you
cast a spell with a casting time longer than a single
action or reaction, you must spend your action each
turn casting the spell, and you must maintain your
concentration while you do so (see "Concentration"
below). ]f your concentration is broken, the spell fails,
but you don't expend a spell slot. ]f you want to try
casting the spell again, you must start over.
RANGEThe target of a spell must be within the spell's range.
For a spelllike magic missile, the target is a creature.
For a spelllike firebaJl,the target is the point in space
where the ball of fire erupts.
Most spells have ranges expressed in feet. Some
spells can target only a creature (including you) that you
touch. Other spells. such as theshieldspell, affect only
you. These spells have a range of self.
Spells that create cones or lines of effect that originate
from you also have a range of self, indicating that the
origin point af the spell's effect must be yau (see "Areas
af Effect" later in the this chapter).